WHEN YOUR NAME IS IN THE TITLE OF YOUR SHOW, IT’S FAIR TO ASSUME IT’S AT least semi-autobiographical. Not so, says Ramy Youssef, the 29-year-old creator, writer and star of Ramy, the Hulu comedy series returning for its second season on May 29. “What I really tried to do with this character was imagine my life with a less communicative family and what would I look like without an artistic outlet and a vision of what I wanted to do.” Youssef’s vision paid off; the actor won a Golden Globe for his performance in 2019. “My mom has it,” Youssef says about the award, adding that winning it was a huge commercial for the show. “It was just the best advertising we could have gotten for people to see what is otherwise like a small show.” Based on Youssef’s stand-up, Ramy follows the spiritual journey of a young man torn between his Muslim faith and the modern realities of his millennial peers. But right now, the biggest thing Youssef is grappling with is his inability to do stand-up because of the coronavirus pandemic. “I definitely miss it. It’s hard to beat regardless of any success in the onscreen space.”
Illustration by BRITT SPENCER
“I’m more interested in just showing our value.”